US influence on protest, Online Streaming Act concerns : In The News for Feb. 10

The Commons committee meets today and would need unanimous consent of all parties to issue an invitation to Ambassador David Cohen.

Protesters have been warned by police that if they continue blocking streets they could be charged with mischief to property, have their vehicles and other property seized and possibly forfeited, and that charges or convictions may lead to them being barred from travelling to the United States.

The declaration from police comes after municipal officials in Ottawa spoke with the federal government to find solutions to end the protest that has sparked solidarity rallies, some of which have blocked traffic at border crossings in Coutts, Alta., and the busy Windsor-Detroit Ambassador Bridge crossing.

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says Ottawa residents have been subjected to “acts of thuggery and disrespect” by demonstrators, and the government is working to ensure Ottawa police have the “resources that they need to enforce the law to restore public order and to bring this unlawful protest to an end.”

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Also this …

Experts are raising concerns that the body the federal government wants to regulate streaming services lacks the expertise to do so.

The government last week introduced the Online Streaming Act, which would subject streaming companies such as YouTube and Netflix to the same rules as Canadian broadcasters.

The bill would put the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in charge of regulating streaming services as well as traditional broadcasters.

Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in internet and e-commerce law, questioned whether the CRTC has the technical expertise to do this.

He said Bill C-11 would give the body sweeping jurisdiction over audiovisual services around the world.

The Internet Society, a group that advocates for an open and secure internet, says giving the CRTC power to regulate such a global resource as the internet shows the government doesn’t understand how the web works.

The CRTC said it welcomes the government’s tabling of a new bill that addresses the changing digital broadcasting environment while modernizing the regulator’s enforcement powers.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

WASHINGTON _ U.S. President Joe Biden is trying to jump-start progress on his stalled domestic agenda by refocusing attention on one of his most popular proposals, limiting the cost of prescription drugs.

Biden is travelling to Culpeper, Virginia, on Thursday, where White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president will call attention to the “unacceptable” cost of medications.

Biden’s trip to Virginia will also be an opportunity for him to start promoting his party’s candidates in November’s midterm elections. He’s expected to appear alongside Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., who is in danger of losing her seat representing a central Virginia district.

Spanberger is one of several Democrats who have raised alarms about slipping support from voters. She suggested in a November interview with The New York Times that Biden had overreached with his plans for new government programs that recalled the Depression-era agenda of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

“Nobody elected him to be FDR; they elected him to be normal and stop the chaos,” she said.

However, prescription drugs remain a politically safe focal point for Biden’s visit.

“I am grateful for the administration’s attention to this issue _ but more than that, I look forward to hearing the president’s strategy for how we can sign a transformative prescription drug-focused bill into law,” Spanberger said in a statement when Biden’s trip was announced.

Efforts to lower prescription drug costs have long been popular with voters, but bipartisan consensus has proved elusive. It’s unclear if there’s a political path forward for Biden’s plans in Congress.

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

SEOUL, South Korea _ Satellite photos show hundreds of people in formation at a training ground in North Korea’s capital in a possible sign the country is preparing for a military parade amid heightened animosities over its recent missile tests.

The 38 North website, which specializes in North Korea studies, said Wednesday the Feb. 5 imagery taken on the Mirim airfield in Pyongyang _ where rehearsals for past military parades occurred _ likely signals a forthcoming parade.

NK News, another website that monitors North Korea, also reported Wednesday that there have been signs of increased preparations for a military parade in Pyongyang in recent weeks. It cited unidentified informed sources on the ground and satellite imagery.

North Korea often marks important anniversaries with parades and other displays, and the websites noted several upcoming occasions, such as next week’s 80th birthday of Kim Jong Il, the late father of current leader Kim Jong Un, and April’s 110th birthday of Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of Kim Jong Un.

The three Kims, who have been ruling North Korea successively since its foundation in 1948, are the subject of a strong personality cult among its 25 million people. The birthdays of the two late Kims are the country’s most important holidays, and its powerful Politburo recently decided to celebrate their upcoming birth anniversaries “with splendour” and make them as “the great festivals of victory and glory to shine long in the annals of the country.”

North Korea hasn’t disclosed what events it would hold to mark the upcoming birth anniversaries. But on past birthdays and other key state anniversaries, North Korea often paraded goose-stepping soldiers and new weapons systems through a main Pyongyang plaza to bolster unity and intimidate its rivals.

Last month, North Korea carried out a spate of missile tests in what some experts called an attempt to boost its weapons arsenals and pressure the Biden administration to make concessions such as sanctions relief. It appears to be pausing the tests during the Winter Olympics in China, its most important ally and economic lifeline, but observers say North Korea could test bigger weapons after the Olympics.

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On this day in 2004 …

Auditor general Sheila Fraser reported massive abuses in a federal sponsorship program run by the Public Works Department that funnelled cash to Quebec advertising agencies with close ties to the Liberal party. Prime minister Paul Martin fired former public works minister Alfonso Gagliano as ambassador to Denmark and ordered an independent judicial inquiry into the scandal.

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In entertainment …

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Bob Saget’s death last month stemmed from an accidental blow to the head, his family said in a statement Wednesday.

The comedian and “Full House” star was found dead Jan. 9 in a Florida hotel room. He’d performed in the area the night before as part of his “I Don’t Do Negative Comedy” standup tour.

“The authorities have determined that Bob passed from head trauma,” the Saget family said. “They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved.”

The 65-year-old was found on the hotel bed and there were no signs of foul play, authorities said last month. A hotel security officer had entered the room after Saget failed to check out, and called 911 when he found him unresponsive. Deputies and paramedics came to the room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando and he was pronounced dead.

Saget was best known for his role as beloved single dad Danny Tanner on the sitcom “Full House” and as the wisecracking host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”

His death prompted an outpouring of affection from fans and colleagues, who recalled him as both funny and extraordinarily kind.

In the statement, the family said it has been overwhelmed with “the incredible outpouring of love from Bob’s fans” and were comforted by it.

“As we continue to mourn together, we ask everyone to remember the love and laughter that Bob brought to this world, and the lessons he taught us all: to be kind to everyone, to let the people you love know you love them, and to face difficult times with hugs and laughter,” his family said.

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ICYMI …

Canada’s food safety watchdog says the discovery of avian influenza in a commercial poultry flock in Nova Scotia has resulted in international trade restrictions on some Canadian poultry products.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the outbreak of high pathogenic H5N1 was reported last week to the World Organization for Animal Health.

The agency says in a news release on Wednesday that the detection has resulted in Canada’s animal health status being changed to say it is not free from avian influenza.

South Korea and the Philippines have imposed restrictions on poultry products from all of Canada including live poultry, poultry meat and edible eggs.

The United States, European Union, Taiwan, Mexico, Japan and Hong Kong have imposed restrictions on some products from Nova Scotia, or from the specific area of the province affected by the bird flu outbreak.

Russia has imposed restrictions on poultry from both Nova Scotia and on Newfoundland and Labrador, where bird flu was also detected in January and December.

The CFIA has not specified the type of birds affected by the pathogen in the Nova Scotia flock.

The agency has said that avian influenza circulates naturally in birds and can affect food-producing birds including chickens, turkeys, quails, and guinea fowl, as well as pet and wild birds. Highly pathogenic avian influenza can cause severe illness and death in birds.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2022

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

US influence on protest, Online Streaming Act concerns : In The News for Feb. 10

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